Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Tuesday that rumours of rift within the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab unit were “false”. The remarks by the senior AAP leader came after Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa claimed that “over 30 AAP MLAs were in touch with his party” following AAP’s debacle in the Delhi Assembly poll.
Mr. Mann, who met AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal at his residence at Ferozeshah Road along with legislators from Punjab, said “shifting parties is a culture in Congress, not AAP”.
“What difference does it make what he [Bajwa] says? We have built this party [AAP] with our blood and sweat. Leaving is out of the question. The real issue is that party-hopping is a culture within their ranks. One of their leaders was beating drums, claiming that AAP had lost in Delhi; conversely, people were questioning Congress’s celebration despite scoring a zero in Delhi,” the Punjab CM said.
He assured that AAP’s poll promise in Punjab of giving ₹1,000 per month to women will be implemented soon.
“In Delhi, over the past 10 years, our government has carried out unprecedented work, so much so that people still say they had never seen or heard of such progress. Wins and losses are part of the journey, but we will apply Delhi’s experience in Punjab. We have already established over 850 Mohalla Clinics, revamped hospitals, and launched schools of eminence where students excel in competitive exams,” Mr. Mann told mediapersons.
‘New Punjab CM’
Meanwhile, BJP MLA-elect from Rajouri Garden, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, took a jibe at Mr. Kejriwal saying, “He [Kejirwal] is dreaming of becoming Punjab CM. Just like a fish out of water, he cannot live without power or luxury.”
Alienated AAP MP Swati Maliwal alleged that the people of Punjab are angry with AAP.
“Kejriwal has appointed Bibhav Kumar as Punjab CM’s chief adviser,” she said. Mr. Kumar has been accused of assaulting Ms. Maliwal.
AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal also took a dig at Mr. Kejriwal, saying, “Some people have started treating Punjab as their personal ATM. Today, massive corruption is rampant in Punjab. There is blatant sand mining at different places and corruption in transfer postings. The people of Punjab and several MLAs are angry. Kejriwal has appointed his goon Bibhav Kumar as the chief advisor of Punjab CM.”
Published - February 12, 2025 01:59 am IST
